The HALO Trust
@thehalotrust.bsky.social
The HALO Trust is an international organisation that clears landmines and other explosives in war-torn areas. Our mission is to protect lives and restore the livelihoods of those affected by conflict. https://www.halotrust.org/
“The problem is monumental. There are so many affected regions. Every day we get calls from people begging us to clear their land." HALO’s Zakaria el-Othman spoke to @csmonitor.bsky.social as 'tens of thousands of displaced families' return home to land littered with explosives in #Syria.
The Christian Science Monitor@csmonitor.bsky.social · last yr.In Syria, unexploded ordnance prolongs the casualties of an ended war
Changing weather has led to land degradation, reduced water and biodiversity loss in Somaliland. Landmines further impact agriculture and clearance is often a first step in restoring land & livelihoods, though clearance can also impact the environment as vegetation is removed.
Germany is actively helping to increase security in Syria through our humanitarian demining partnerships with @thehalotrust.bsky.social and @hi-deutschland.bsky.social. Mines and unexploded ordnance pose a deadly threat to millions in Syria – both those still there and those hoping to return home.
#Syria: Since the Assad regime fell last year, mine accidents have killed or injured over 1,000 people. Tragically, the true count may be much higher. Almost two million people who fled conflict in Syria have returned home to find their towns, villages and fields contaminated with deadly ordnance.
🎥 "Landmines kill and maim long after wars end. The victims are often children." In this 'Talk to Al Jazeera' interview, our CEO James Cowan discusses all aspects of our life-saving work - from Ukraine to Afghanistan, Syria and beyond. Watch now on @al-jazeera-english.bsky.social bit.ly/4j9vZJS
James Cowan on clearing landmines and the legacy of war
Landmine-clearing NGO chief explains how explosives still kill in peacetime, why world is failing to clean up its wars.
aljazeera.com
⭐Can you push the boundaries of innovation in risk management mine action? Have groundbreaking ideas with real-world impact? There is still time to submit your ideas for our GICHD Innovation Award 2025! Apply by 20 May 2025 (extended deadline) 👇 link.gichd.org/InnovationAw...
Powerful & moving testimony at @parliament.scot CPG on #InternationalDevelopment, hearing updates from @decscotland.bsky.social on #Myanmar, @islamicreliefuk.bsky.social on #Sudan, @actionforhumanity.bsky.social on #Gaza & @thehalotrust.bsky.social on #Ukraine - intdevalliance.scot/news-view/cr...
In 2020, HALO cleared mines from Christ's Baptism Site on the banks of the River Jordan, allowing worshippers to safely return to a site that had been abandoned for 50 years. We were honoured that Pope Francis acknowledged our work, as we mourn his passing and thank him for his commitment to peace.
In Bajgorë/a, land once filled with landmines is now home to cottages, hikers, and wind turbines. Thanks to @npaid.bsky.social, @thehalotrust.bsky.social, Kosovo Mine Action Centre, with EU support, land is safely returned to communities, creating new opportunities for tourism, green energy &jobs.
Thank you to @news.dw.com, who observed our expert deminers' work in #Syria, where "nearly a third of the population are affected by explosive contamination." Families are returning home after the fall of Assad to find their land littered with deadly hazards: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NE1...
Syria faces painstaking task of clearing wartime landmines | DW News
YouTube video by DW News
youtube.com
🎥 “#Syria is at a crossroads." "There’s a huge opportunity for HALO and everyone in the sector to make a massive difference in the lives of Syrians and really address the problem of mine contamination at scale.” HALO’s Nick Torbet, speaking from the 🇨🇭 #NDMUN28 Mine Action Conference:
This week, we’re in 🇨🇭 Geneva for the #NDMUN28 Mine Action Conference. Today, we’re hosting a side event with @undp.org, @unep.org and @germany.diplo.de, discussing how demining operators can best support reconstruction in urban environments devastated by conflict. ➡️ bit.ly/3G0Af0i
Jeder Schritt abseits gesicherter Wege kann tödlich sein: In über 60 Ländern bedrohen #Minen und Kampfmittelrückstände Menschenleben. Mit unserer Unterstützung für Minenräumung, Aufklärung und Opferfürsorge schaffen wir sichere Räume für Millionen Menschen. #MineAction
🧵(1/2): Today, a delegation of ambassadors will trace Princess Diana's footsteps in Huambo, 🇦🇴 Angola, where HALO’s demining has transformed the area beyond recognition. In 1997, Diana walked through what was a minefield. It was a walk that forced the world to sit up and take notice.
12 HALO staff have successfully completed Explosive Ordnance (EOD) training in #Syria. Thanks to @germany.diplo.de funding, those staff will begin their life-saving work next month - protecting communities who are returning home to find their land contaminated with deadly explosives.
The highest concentration of unexploded devices is along old frontlines in Aleppo and Idlib, @thehalotrust.bsky.social found. Here, Assad forces uprooted olive trees, made earth barricades, planted mines and booby traps to cause maximum harm. @thenewarab.bsky.social www.newarab.com/features/syr...
Syrians returning home confront the terror of hidden explosives
Amidst the rubble of a devastated Syria, millions of civilians are confronted by the hidden dangers of explosive devices, hindering their attempts to rebuild
newarab.com
The German Foreign Office (GFFO - @germany.diplo.de) supports HALO with a €5M grant to boost demining in #Syria. Our CEO James Cowan said: “We're extremely grateful to the GFFO. As millions of Syrians return, this funding will help avoid deaths and injuries." Read more ➡️ bit.ly/4c1Y8R4
HALO Global Ambassador Josh Kennedy-White visited #Afghanistan to witness our work first-hand. In this LinkedIn article, Josh reflects on a land that "bears the deep scars of past conflicts," where HALO's clearance work is a vital first step for a safer, more prosperous future. ➡️ bit.ly/4iUHgOg
"It’s minus 14 degrees, a sunny February day and - words I never thought I’d ever write - I’m walking through a live minefield in the most mined country in the world." HALO was delighted to host Rachel Johnson in Bervytsia village, Ukraine for @lbc.co.uk: www.lbc.co.uk/opinion/view...
Ukraine’s mine-ridden ghost villages are being reclaimed - but it's the deadliest job in the world
It’s minus 14 degrees, a sunny February day and - words I never thought I’d ever write - I’m walking through a live minefield in the most mined country in the world.
lbc.co.uk
🎥 Three years of war in #Ukraine has left huge amounts of land contaminated with deadly mines and explosives. HALO will continue to make the land safe so families can return home and farmers can grow grain - building a more secure future for the people of Ukraine:
💡 “Working with Amazon Web Services and using AI will transform the way we work," says Matthew Abercrombie, Head of Research and Development at The HALO Trust. As part of AWS's Pioneers Project, Matthew discusses HALO’s use of drones and AI to clear landmines more quickly: bit.ly/4kcC6P1
The HALO Trust is helping eradicate the dangers of landmines
HALO is working with AWS to clear landmines faster using drone technology and AI.
bit.ly
🎥 Whatever the future holds for #Ukraine, The HALO Trust will be at the cutting edge of mine clearance technology - keeping farmers and families safe and paving the way for a more secure and prosperous future. ⬇️
A rising star saving lives in Angola. ✨ Rita Vambe's journey with HALO began as a deminer before she rose to the role of Sub-unit Commander, leading teams to make land safe for communities in Cuito Cuanavale. "I joined HALO to help rid my country of landmines," says Rita.
The HALO Trust's vital work, clearing landmines and explosives to protect lives and livelihoods, is featured in this Positive News piece: www.positive.news/society/thre...
Three good things: projects clearing up junk that’s hidden from view
What’s being done to tackle other types of man-made pollution that are largely hidden from view?
positive.news
UK investment in Benguela, #Angola, is helping drive growth and development – all made possible by HALO's work. Between 2007-08, HALO cleared mines from Catumbela Airport, paving the way for economic development and progress. Today, Benguela is thriving: bit.ly/3EI0ZSt
🎥 @al-jazeera-english.bsky.social report on the dangers of deadly mines and explosives in Syria. HALO's Syria Programme Manager Damian O’Brien discusses the "huge increase in accidents as people return to their land" after the fall of the Assad regime in December ⬇️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=24ef...
Landmines, unexploded munitions remain a deadly threat in Syria
YouTube video by Al Jazeera English
youtube.com
Clearing deadly explosives should be a key goal of @munsecconf.bsky.social. “From the vast grainfields of Ukraine to the former front lines in Syria, removing landmines builds security, enhances stability and saves lives,” said HALO CEO James Cowan. #MSC2025 More➡️ www.halotrust.org/latest/halo-...
Ukraine's minefields must be a priority at Munich meeting
Landmine clearance is key to enhancing security and stability in Ukraine.
halotrust.org
I spoke with Mouiad Alnofaly, @thehalotrust.bsky.social operations manager in Syria for @metro.co.uk His team consists of only 40 deminers. He says that at least 400 more are needed to clear Syria, otherwise the operation will take decades.
